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Introduction

I’ve been blogging about my 1989 BMW e30 for over a year but now I’d like to write about all my cars here on this blog. If you’re just interested in the e30 content you can continue to read only those entries on my e30 blog. Here are the cars in my life.

2000 BMW 540i Touring – “The Wagon”

This was the first used car I’d ever bought and purchased it in spring 2012. In retrospect I could have done better for my dollar but I was naive and anxious to get a BMW wagon: I overpaid and skipped the pre-purchase inspection which would have revealed numerous poorly performed repairs by the dealer I bought it from. Initially it seemed like I’d gotten a decent car but 6 months later the timing chain guide broke and the engine was practically destroyed – which I paid to fix.

Regardless, my family loves this car and I have big plans to turn it into the wagon of my dreams: M5 style 65 wheels, suspension upgrade, manual transmission swap and Laguna Seca Blue paint.

It’s great for big grocery trips and going to the beach. It has a V8 and takes off like a race car.

1989 BMW 325i Sedan – “The e30”

I bought this right on the heels of the wagon before anything went wrong. I was still inexperienced. The fact that the wagon seemed like a decent car made me overly confident in my car buying skills. In the words of my mechanic “This car is the reason you’re supposed to get a pre-purchase inspection.” Yeah, it was that bad.

This is my favourite car even though it entered my life in rough shape, was repaired at considerable expense and will never be a show car. I’ve learned a lot about how cars work from fixing this car up even if I haven’t always done the work myself. I got fluent driving stick in this car and have put 20,000 joy-riding miles on it: we have a relationship.

1998 BMW M3 Sedan – “The M3”

I’ve taken many fun trips with the family in my e30 but after the birth of my 2nd child it became apparent that my noisy blue car isn’t practical for 2 kids in car seats. I evaluated some options and decided that an e36 M3 sedan would be fun to drive, fit the kids and free up the wagon to spend some time in the shop.

I’ve always wanted an M3 and this seemed like the opportunity to get into one. It was hard to find a decent sedan in Estoril blue but eventually one came available in fall of 2013. A lot of maintenance has been put into the car – enough to get it through the next 2 years – but at least it was in good shape to start.

These are the cars in my life right now – thanks for coming along on the ride.